12 replies to this topic

[mcheiss]

Another Great Development in the heart of NW Arkansas.

Mayor Phil Biggers of Lowell envisions thousands of residents stepping off an elevated train at a town center of shops, offices and apartments only steps away from Interstate 540 and Arkansas 264.

The Lowell City Council rezoned 136 acres at the intersection last month from residential to commercial highway for developer Tom Terminella, who told aldermen he plans an urban mixed-use development with apartments and businesses. The development would be located near a proposed regional light-rail line and is the latest in a flurry of mixed-use developments in Benton and Washington counties.

During the council’s Oct. 18 meeting, Terminella (Developer) showed slides of an urban style development with 20 acres of apartments and more than 130 acres of multi-use buildings, including retail businesses. Conceptual drawings show multistory buildings located close to treelined sidewalks and a plaza with walking room and outdoor cafestyle seating.

Terms of the sale were contingent upon the rezoning, and Terminella has hired Design Workshop landscape architecture and urban planning firm for the project. Terminella said he hopes to submit development plans by the second quarter of 2006.

Other mixed-use developments in Northwest Arkansas include Fayetteville’s $ 20 million Mountain Inn project at College Avenue and Mountain Street, anchored by a 16-story hotel and condominium building with a rooftop garden, and Rogers’ Shoppes at Pinnacle Hills, a 208, 000-square foot complex with retail, office and residential suites, Pleasant Crossing 1 Million Square Foot Complex of Retail, and Pinnacle Promenade 1 Million Square Foot Complex of Retail

Bentonville’s Harrison French Architecture is building two- and three-story buildings at Southwest A and Eighth streets to house offices, retail stores and apartments.

Lowell is updating its zoning ordinance to add designations for mixed-use developments so developers can request more specific zoning changes and aldermen will have more control of development, Biggers said.

Under C-2 commercial highway zoning, Lowell developers can build such things as outpatient veterinary clinics, lumber yards and machinery sales-and-service businesses. The zoning designation doesn’t allow manufacturing or canning of food.

Lowell officials believe Terminella (Developer) will follow through with the plans he announced in October.

In May 2004, Mayor Biggers welcomed investors to a groundbreaking ceremony for a $ 12 million water park at the southwest corner of I-540 and Arkansas 264. A rift between investors smothered the water park plans, however, and a car sales lot instead has been proposed for the site.

One potential route of a Northwest Arkansas regional light-rail system includes a loop running alongside Arkansas 264 near Terminella’s land and west toward Highfill and Northwest Arkansas Regional Airport. Discussion of a light-rail system or concept of such a system is in its infancy, however. Terminella has told Biggers the development will move the center of the city west of I-540 and that he has long-term plans of building a corridor of development from I-540 west.

This is a great development. Hopefully more info will come through and tenants and such will be announced

[Mith242]

So is this development going to be happening even if the light rail doesn't happen?  Or is this a development that will be taking place in the future when the possibility of a light rail is more possible?  It sounds like an interesting idea.  I just hope some of these developments don't jump the gun a little too soon.  I wonder if there will be enough demand in Lowell for something like this.  I'm sure there will be a little further in the future but I'm not sure if there would be enough now.  Of course maybe something like this could really jumpstart Lowell into becoming more of a city that could eventually compete with some of the other bigger cities up here.

[mcheiss]

Mith242, on Nov 14 2005, 03:02 PM, said:

So is this development going to be happening even if the light rail doesn't happen?  Or is this a development that will be taking place in the future when the possibility of a light rail is more possible?  It sounds like an interesting idea.  I just hope some of these developments don't jump the gun a little too soon.  I wonder if there will be enough demand in Lowell for something like this.  I'm sure there will be a little further in the future but I'm not sure if there would be enough now.  Of course maybe something like this could really jumpstart Lowell into becoming more of a city that could eventually compete with some of the other bigger cities up here.

I think it will be built even if the light rail isn't built.

The article I was reading was just throwing out the fact that it was going to be near the Light Rail Stop in Lowell. Plus, I think these developers are convincing themselves that once Rogers is done developing it's land near the Interstate and such, that Lowell will be the focus of NW Arkansas, since it's situated in the center of NWA.

[Mith242]

mcheiss, on Nov 14 2005, 03:06 PM, said:

I think it will be built even if the light rail isn't built.

The article I was reading was just throwing out the fact that it was going to be near the Light Rail Stop in Lowell. Plus, I think these developers are convincing themselves that once Rogers is done developing it's land near the Interstate and such, that Lowell will be the focus of NW Arkansas, since it's situated in the center of NWA.

That's true and it's not too far away from areas like Pinnacle Hills.

[mcheiss]

Mith242, on Nov 14 2005, 03:21 PM, said:

That's true and it's not too far away from areas like Pinnacle Hills.

Well, Pinnacle is around 3 miles from this site.

It's a lot closer to Pleasant Crossing though, not more than a mile at the most.

[Mith242]

mcheiss, on Nov 14 2005, 03:25 PM, said:

Well, Pinnacle is around 3 miles from this site.

It's a lot closer to Pleasant Crossing though, not more than a mile at the most.

Well I guess it is relatively close when you're traveling on I-540.  And there is plenty of room for development in that area too.

[mcheiss]

Mith242, on Nov 14 2005, 03:27 PM, said:

Well I guess it is relatively close when you're traveling on I-540.  And there is plenty of room for development in that area too.

Oh yeah.

There's plenty of room for retail, condos, and commercial space.

[Aporkalypse]

Lowell is about to take off.  That's the best place to own land in NWA right now.  The office parks will continue to grow and its central location is perfect.  Forward-thinking people would've built a major, regional hospital there for best access to all of NWA and would think about locating things like a central arena/convention center there as land is aplenty and that area will be transitioning from exurban to suburban very soon.

[Mith242]

Aporkalypse, on Nov 14 2005, 05:21 PM, said:

Lowell is about to take off.  That's the best place to own land in NWA right now.  The office parks will continue to grow and its central location is perfect.  Forward-thinking people would've built a major, regional hospital there for best access to all of NWA and would think about locating things like a central arena/convention center there as land is aplenty and that area will be transitioning from exurban to suburban very soon.

It certainly does have a nice location.  I'm wondering if Lowell could one day challenge at some of the other northwest Arkansas cities in some ways somewhere in the future.

[Aporkalypse]

Mith242, on Nov 14 2005, 06:33 PM, said:

It certainly does have a nice location.  I'm wondering if Lowell could one day challenge at some of the other northwest Arkansas cities in some ways somewhere in the future.

It all depends on how aggressive their annexation policies are.  They need to determine their planning zone now and probably should go ahead and establish a 5 mile buffer.

[mcheiss]

Aporkalypse, on Nov 14 2005, 06:44 PM, said:

It all depends on how aggressive their annexation policies are.  They need to determine their planning zone now and probably should go ahead and establish a 5 mile buffer.

Lowell will be the next place to invest in after Rogers is done. I'm pretty sure Lowell already does have a master planning zone around their city to a certain extent, but not 5-miles, because it is bordered by cities like Rogers and Springdale that have already designated land near lowell as "high priority".

[Aporkalypse]

mcheiss, on Nov 15 2005, 07:41 AM, said:

Lowell will be the next place to invest in after Rogers is done. I'm pretty sure Lowell already does have a master planning zone around their city to a certain extent, but not 5-miles, because it is bordered by cities like Rogers and Springdale that have already designated land near lowell as "high priority".

Of course, that's the issue - Rogers will want that land as well as its own growth is limited by its border with Bentonville in the other direction.

[mcheiss]

Aporkalypse, on Nov 15 2005, 09:57 AM, said:

Of course, that's the issue - Rogers will want that land as well as its own growth is limited by its border with Bentonville in the other direction.

Rogers has a lot of land still left to develop, and the have plenty of land west of I-540 that is unclaimed.

Annexations have become rumors up here, and it may happen in the future. It could help coordinate and centralize one large city, instead of having a medium sized city and a small city fighting over zoning.